The Quarry
by SandiLeeDuke
Summary: What happens on the way from the quarry? One-shot. I own nothing of The Walking Dead


Jessie is helping at the quarry and gets in the car with Rick, Michonne and of to go back to Alexandria. She's going back to check on Sam

It was a warm, clear day with the sun beaming down on those from Alexandria who were helping to fill dirt bags to shore up metal panels used on the sides of the road. They were preparing to lead a huge walker herd from the quarry to 20 miles away from Alexandria. They needed to make sure the metal panels and cars they put along the outside of the street corners were immovable to keep the large herd in the middle of the street and headed in the right direction..

Jessie Anderson was one of the ones to volunteer to help Carol give out water to the workers. She honestly wanted to help save the community, but mostly she just wanted to be near Rick Grimes. Being newly widowed (courtesy of Rick) she had set her sights on him, who she felt safe with. She had told him she could take care of herself although she had only confronted one walker in her life. It was at the beginning when her, husband Pete and their boys, Ron and Sam, were told to leave their home in Ohio and follow Senator Deanna and Reg Monroe to DC. The Monroes' and Andersons' were neighbors and Deanna felt Dr. Pete's skills could be put to good use helping out any Congress member that got sick while they were working out what to do about the plague. On the night they left their home, as they were getting into the car, a walker was in their yard coming toward them. It was a neighbor and Jessie at first thought they were just coming to say goodbye. She'd just made sure Sam was buckled in the back seat and turned around when she finally heard growling. Then she saw the strange look and walk of the neighbor as it got closer. She screamed and quickly got into the car. Pete started the car and took off. She realized then that her best defence would always be to run to get away from the slow walking abominations. On the way to DC they were detoured to Alexandria and had been there, behind the wall ever since.

…...

The group from Alexandria had started early in the morning filling dirt bags and had been working for several hours. It was well past noon when Rick and Michonne had to go back to the construction site near Alexandria to get the rest of the metal panels they needed to finish the job. Carter had miscalculated how many panels they needed so Rick said he would go back and drive back the lift that held them to where they were digging. He needed Michonne to follow him in the car to help keep walkers away and bring the car back for transportation to get everyone home. They also needed to get Barbara back. She had fainted from the heat and was supposed to be taking it easy. Her husband insisted she go back home and rest.

Rick and Michonne had gotten in the front of the car and Barbara got in the back seat after saying goodbye to her husband. Jessie came up to the driver's side and asked Rick if she could ride with them. She wanted to go home to see Sam. He had been staying in the house lately, only coming out to visit Carol and she wanted to go home to check on him. Rick agreed and she got in the back seat behind him.

…

The drive back was quiet with them enjoying the wind from the open windows and after awhile n Barbara began talking.

"I'm sorry my husband was so insistent that I ride with you all home. I really do feel better. I just didn't eat anything this morning and I think that may have been the reason I fainted, not heat stroke."

"Ain't no trouble," Rick answered.

"We were out there in the hot a long time," Michonne smiled. "Sometimes the body just needs to cool down or fill up!"

Barbara smiled back. "You know, this is the first time I've gotten to talk to either of you since you got to Alexandria. Did you know each other before everything happened?"

Rick and Michonne looked at each other and smiled.

"No, we didn't," Michonne said.

"Nobody in your group knew anybody else, except you knew your family, isn't that right Rick?" Jessie asked.

"Well, they are all my family, but that's right, Jessie, I just knew my kids." Rick answered. They didn't tell the ladies about Tyreese, Meryl, Sophia Beth or Hershel being related to some in the group or what happened to them.

"Everybody in your group seems so close, like your blood family. Did that happen on the road?" Barbara asked.

"We went through a lot together out here," Michonne said. "Going through things, especially tragedy, can bring people closer."

"Be careful Rick, there's walkers up ahead!" Jessie pointed out.

Three walkers were coming out of the treeline on the right side of the road. Rick had already seen them and knew they would pass by them long before they got to the street.

Jessie turned and looked at them out the back window when they passed. "Those things scare me! I know you said we need to be ready for them and learn to fight them and I get that. But I'm still afraid of them."

"Me too, " Barbara said. "I know it's because we've been sheltered behind the wall since it all happened. This is the closest I've been to one."

"Once you learn to defend yourself you may feel less afraid. A little fear is good; you don't want to get complacent," Michonne said. "But knowing how to take care of yourself is a must in this world today."

"Rick, did you teach Michonne how to use that sword?" Jessie asked smiling at him through the rearview mirror.

Rick chuckled as Michonne glanced at him. "I did not."

"I'm self taught," said Michonne.

"Wow, that's wonderful," Barbara said. "I doubt I could do that."

"I bet you all learned from each other how to fight out there, right? Teaching each other what to do, how to use things?" Jessie asked.

"We learn from each other, yes, but some thangs you teach yourself. Everybody has to know how to defend themselves, otherwise they'd have gone down at the beginnin', unless they were sheltered from it. We all have a weapon of choice, but you use whatever you have; a hammer, a rock, a stick, whatever is there. But Michonne is a master with her katana. I've seen her slice three heads off at a time!" Rick gushed, glancing at Michonne.

Michonne gave him a small smile.

"Oh my, all that blood and brains! But it is a long sword. I have this knife," Jessie pulls a hand knife out of it's holster on her belt then puts it back. "It fits my hand though. I have small hands."

"You get used to all the gross things. You have to," said Michonne.

Just then a tire blew. Jessie screamed.

"What was that?!" Barbara asked, eyes bucking! "Was it a gunshot?!"

Rick was trying to keep the car under control and bring it to a stop.

"We blew a tire. We'll need to change it quickly," Rick said stopping the car. "It's four of us so y'all can be the lookouts while I change the tire."

"It'll go faster if I help change the tire and Barbara and Jessie can watch out for walkers," Michonne suggested looking at Rick.

"Rick, I'm scared. I can help change the tire while Michonne and Barbara watch."

"Have you ever changed a tire before Jessie?" Michonne asked.

"Well, no. But I can hand you whatever you need, Rick. I do know what a screwdriver is!"

"Jessie I'm scared too," Barbara said looking Jessie in the eyes. "But we all have to work together to get this done. They seem to know what they're talking about."

"I agree. But I can stay with Rick…"

"We ain't got time for this," Rick said cutting the car off. "That noise is gonna bring walkers out here. Barbara, you go to the front right bumper. Go about 10 feet away to get a better look around. Jessie you do the same at the back left bumper. Look in front of you and to both sides. Keep quiet! If you see somethin' tell Michonne, but do it QUIETLY! We can do this. Keep a constant look out."

Two walkers were already a few feet from the road, coming toward them. Michonne got out of the car.

"Where is she going?" Barbara asked.

"To take care of those walkers,' Rick answered. "She doesn't make noise with her sword."

"But by herself?" Jessie asked. "Ain't that dangerous?"

Michonne took her sword and decapitated the walkers quickly, then returned to the car.

"Alright, now go!" Rick said to Jessie and Barbara. They got out of the car and took their posts.

When the last lugnut was screwed off the flat tire Barbara saw seven walkers coming out of the treeline about 30 yards away and told Michonne. Jessie spotted two walkers coming about 40 yards away. Michonne was getting the spare out and told them both to keep watch, that they had time before the walkers coming were close enough to take down.

Rick was sitting on the road with the flat tire in his hands having just taken it off the car. Michonne was rolling the spare to him when out of the treeline three men came running toward them, two pointing guns at them. The third had an ax. All three were laughing loudly.

Barbara yelled, "They got guns!" and ran to Michonne.

Jessie heard Barbara and turned and saw the men. She yelled, "Rick!" and ran to him dropping to her knees beside him, trying to get between him and the tire.

Michonne immediately told Barbara to hunch down and go to the opposite side of the car and hide behind the front tire. The men were getting closer as Michonne called to Jesse to follow Barbara. Jesse, in her fright, refused to move.

Rick immediately let the flat tire fall and unholstered his Colt as he got up off the road. He aimed toward the men. He took his other hand and grabbed Jessie up by the arm and pushed her to the other side of the car to Michonne. Michonne quickly sat her down next to Barbara and went and crouched behind the rear tire on the same side beside Rick. Rick very carefully peeped through the open back window to see where the men were and quickly put his head back down. They didn't fire at him. He looked out through the window again and shot one of the men who had a gun. One of the other two men stopped running toward them yelling, "We don't have bullets!" But the man with an ax kept running onto the street toward them, still laughing.

Rick aimed and shot the man with the ax. The other man with the gun turned to run away as Rick aimed and shot him.

After Rick made sure no other live people were coming, Michonne rose up and went to the group of seven walkers coming near the front of the car. As she lifted her sword to dispatch them, Rick ran to the two walkers coming up behind the car and took care of them with his machete. He and Michonne looked at one another for a second while headed back to the car. Rick went back to finish the tire. Michonne went to Jessie and Barbara to check on them.

"Are you two okay?"

Barbara stood when Michonne got to them. Jessie stayed huddled behind the tire, tears falling down her cheeks. Michonne pulled her to her feet. "It's okay Jesse, we're okay. You get in the car til we finish. We'll be leaving soon." But Jessie ran back to where Rick was fixing the tire.

Michonne grabbed Barbara's hand, "Come with me. We've got to hurry!"

Barbara kept up with Michonne as she ran to the dead men. They needed to give Rick more time with the tire. They saw that all three men were shot in the head so they wouldn't be turning. They also saw lots more walkers coming out of the treeline shuffling toward the noise they heard.

"Get the gun and check for other weapons," Michonne said. "Hurry, we don't know if these men have friends."

Barbara did as she was told and in the few seconds she'd checked and got the gun off one man, Michonne had taken care of the other two. She gave the gun she found to Michonne and they ran back up to the car. Michonne told Barbara to resume her post at the front of the car as she checked the guns. There were no bullets. She took the guns, ax and two knives they got and threw them onto the floor of the front passenger side.

Michonne went to Rick and saw that he was almost done with the tire. She rolled the flat tire to the trunk and put it in. She told Jessie to get back into the car just as Rick stood and jacked the car down. She called to Barbara and as they all got in, Rick put everything in the trunk and hurriedly got into the driver's seat. He took off before the walkers got close to the street.

As Rick pulled out his walkie talkie, Michonne quietly told him that all three men had a "W" on their foreheads. They glanced at each other, both remembering the head and torsos with the "W"s on them they saw at Noah's community.

Rick used the walkie talkie to let the others back at the quarry know about the trouble they had and to be on the lookout for anyone or anything strange. He also radioed ahead for Alexandria to check it's perimeter and surrounding areas since the gunmen were only three miles away.

…

"Jessie, are you alright?" Michonne asked when Rick was finished on the walkie talkie. Jesse just nodded her head and gave a small smile.

"I'm still shaking!" Barbara said, showing them her trembling hand.

"You did good," Rick complimented her.

"Michonne, you took care of all those walkers by yourself!" Barbara continued, "And Rick, you're a crackshot! How did you do this every day?! Oh, my God! I'm shaking!"

"It's what we were tryin' to tell you. You have to be prepared to defend yourself out here and behind the wall, you don't know what'll happen." Rick said.

Barbara continued talking. "Those men wanted to kill us, didn't they?"

"Yeah, they did," Rick said. "It ain't like it used to be."

"We learned not to take chances out here," Michonne said. "It is life and death every day, whether from walkers or people."

"But how did you handle it? I need to lay down after this! I think I'm in shock!" she said with a nervous chuckle.

"You ain't got a choice, Barbara," Rick answered. "You got to handle it. It's why it's better to be in a group. You help each other, watch each other's back. But there's no time to stop and get scared. You stop, you're dead."

Jessie was still quiet.

"Jessie, I hate to ask again, but are you okay? You haven't said anything since we got in the car." Michonne asked looking at her.

Once again she nodded and gave a small smile.

"You can learn from us. You don't have to start from scratch like we did. Let us help you," Michonne said.

"Well I will be at every and any class you hold!" Barbara smiled. "And my husband and children too! I'm telling everybody 'cause we really need help!"

"But Rick," Jessie finally blurted out. "Did you have to kill them all? You people are acting like this is normal! Three people are dead! What if they had families? They didn't even have bullets! This is not normal!" she said in a loud voice.

"But this IS normal, Jessie," Michonne said. "It's what we've been trying to tell you. This is the world now."

"Jessie, we didn't know if they had bullets or not til we checked. If they DID we could ALL be dead." Rick said sternly. "I killed them before they could kill us."

Michonne added, "They didn't come to us asking for help. They ran at us pointing guns! You cannot take chances! We've had to deal with cannibals and people who would kill us for NOTHING! We don't know if they have others with them or not. People trade people for anything now. Rapists are out there; people who like to torture people. I'm telling you this because it's true! We've SEEN them and had to FIGHT them. Like Rick said, kill or be killed."

Michonne continued, "There are no jails or judicial systems. There are no knights in shining armor. You can't call the police. We have to handle things ourselves. I would have done the exact same thing."

"I don't know if I can do it. Kill somebody," Jessie said shaking her head.

"You'd better. If it's between them and you or them and your children, you'd better!" said Rick.

END

A/N: We know that later the "wolves" came into Alexandria and Jesse killed one in

her own house. Thanks for reading!


End file.
